A Confession Without Words
by Rilakkibum
Summary: A year has passed since Wang So departed to Later Jin as an ambassador. He returned to find out that Hae Soo was sent away from the palace. He was determined to take back the woman he loved, and confess to her in a way that words couldn't.


Hae Soo was out in the yard, hanging up the white sheets that she had just washed. The early morning sun was shining and the air was fresh. She straightened the sheets, patting them out to avoid any wrinkling as they dried. As she reached for another sheet, a dark, familiar figure appeared in the corner of her eye. The gusts of wind blew the sheets, blocking clear enough vision for her to see exactly what that figure was.

' _No… it can't be him… can it?'_

With another gust of wind and the flickering of the hanging sheet, he was gone.

' _It was just my imagination…'_ Hae Soo thought. She rubbed her eyes to prove to herself that she wasn't mistaken. As she opened them once again, there was no trace of the fourth prince. And there shouldn't be.

Hae Soo quickly got back to her duties and reached for the last sheet in the laundry basket. Her leg injury made it hard for her to keep up, but she could manage. She continued with her routine – hanging the sheet onto the pole, straightening it, and patting it out. She was so concentrated on her work until she felt his presence. His overwhelming presence. That comforting and impactful presence. She stopped in the middle of her work and stared blankly at the sheet in front of her.

' _He's here.'_

"You never did listen," Wang So said from behind her. "I told you to stay put at the Damiwon. Doing physical labor suited you better than being a court lady, anyway."

Hearing his voice comforted her and it gave her a sense of home – a sense of reassurance. But at the same time she felt it was wrong for her to hear it. He wasn't supposed to be here. She continued to stare blankly ahead of her, still holding the sheets that she no longer gave attention to.

From behind her, Wang So walked towards Hae Soo and embraced her in a back hug. Hae Soo held her breath. "I missed you." The masked fourth prince uttered. Hae Soo then exhaled as she heard those words escape his lips. She continued to look straight ahead as tears began forming in her eyes.

"You should not be here." Hae Soo muttered. "Pretend that you didn't see me." She broke away from Wang So's embrace and reached for the laundry basket. Wang So pulled her back to face him. Hae Soo took in the view. She took it all in – more than a year without seeing him, this moment vitalized her being without realization. The sun shone on Hae Soo's pale face, radiating her beauty. The fourth prince studied her – her face, her arms, and her hands. He reached for her left hand and studied it closely.

' _She's been working herself too hard…'_ Wang So thought as Hae Soo continued to look up at him with a mix of emotions she couldn't comprehend. He studied her face again, locked his eyes with hers, and smiled gently.

"Just as always… you are beautiful." Wang So said.

"Why? Why have you covered it again?" Hae Soo questioned worriedly, staring at the mask that covered Wang So's scar. "Have you forgotten how to prepare the makeup?"

Wang So began to untie his mask as Hae Soo continued to banter like a concerned mother. "Has your scar gotten more prominent?" She continued. "You hated it so much, so why would you let it–?" Hae Soo cut herself off mid-sentence when Wang So revealed his face – his scar was covered by the makeup that she had taught him how to apply long ago. Wang So locked eyes with Hae Soo, but her eyes faltered as she melted under his gaze. He smiled. "I didn't take the mask off so I wouldn't forget you. I was determined to come back and see you."

"I am not a Damiwon court lady, but a Gyobang water maid." Hae Soo explained. She felt the need to clarify this to him, reminding the fourth prince that he should no longer see her because of her status – that was her excuse. She continued, "I'm not at a level where I can meet you, Your Highness." She paused and avoided eye contact with the fourth prince. "You have returned safe and sound. You know that I am doing well. That's good enough."

Picking up the laundry basket, Hae Soo turned away from Wang So. She quickly limped away as he was left behind. He stared at her departing back and he couldn't bring himself to say anything more.

Hae Soo limped as far as she could. She wanted to get away from him. She wanted to forget it all. She wanted to forget him no matter how much she wanted to remember. Wang So caught up with her in the hallway and grabbed her arm.

"Soo." The fourth prince called her name, begging for her to stay.

"Please go."

Wang So pulled her so that she faced him. "This isn't where you should be." He explained. "Let's go. I'll resolve this somehow." He began to pull her with him towards the opposite direction.

"Just leave me alone!" Hae Soo screamed as she aggressively pulled away from the fourth prince's grasp. Wang So looked back at her in shock. "I'm only here like this because I can neither die nor live. Whether it's Court Lady Oh, who died because of me or the scary life in the palace waiting around every corner, I can forget all of it if my body grows weary." Wang So's eyes softened with sadness.

' _You must stop caring about me.'_ Hae Soo thought.

The fourth prince walked closer to her. "I will watch over you just like when you helped me." Wang So said. "I will help you forget it all even without living this hard life." He looked at Hae Soo intensely with a determined look on his face. A tear fell from Hae Soo's eye.

' _Please don't abandon who you are for me.'_ She thought.

"Even if the person I want to avoid most…" Hae Soo said as she choked back her tears and tried so hard for her next words to come out. "… Is you, Your Highness?" As he heard these words, Wang So's face no longer showed determination. He was stabbed in the back by the words of the person he loved the most in this world.

"When I meet you, I recall everything I want to forget," Hae Soo continued. Wang So stared back at her, aghast by her words.

"Go back." Hae Soo commanded. "I'm living just fine. I can survive. Your Highness, please live in peace. Do not hate or hold grudges. Forget everything." Hae Soo said firmly. She paused as she tried to endure the pain of her own words.

"Then no one will get hurt." She concluded and turned her back on Wang So. She picked up the basket that she dropped on the floor and limped away, never sparing him a second glance.

Hours passed and the morning turned to night. Hae Soo sat alone in her dim lit room, light emanating from one single candle. She was alone with her thoughts. She was afraid of the fourth prince and the future that involved him – a future that she didn't want to witness. She stared blankly at the candle and wondered how she really felt about Wang So. She knew herself that she had feelings for him and wanted him here with her no matter how much she feared it.

A sudden creak broke Hae Soo away from her lingering thoughts. The door to her room opened and Wang So walked in.

"I know you don't want to see me right now. But just listen to me, please." Wang So pleaded. Hae Soo gave no response so he took that as an invitation to stay. He sat next to Hae Soo in front of the candle light and settled down.

"Soo… why is it that you can't reciprocate your feelings towards me?" Wang So asked.

"I'm afraid of what will happen." Hae Soo answered as she continued to stare blankly at the candle light.

"Afraid? Why would you be afraid? I will never hurt you." The fourth prince assured. He waved his finger over the open flame of the candle. He sighed and drew his hand back, resting it on his lap. He stared at the candle light that stole most of Hae Soo's attention.

"I love you, Hae Soo."

Hae Soo blinked and turned her head to lock eyes with Wang So.

"What?" She asked, her eyes widened.

"I love you, and I'm sure you already know that." Wang So answered casually. He smiled and leaned in closer to Hae Soo but she was frozen in her position.

"Can I kiss you?" He asked. Hae Soo blinked and swallowed her saliva out of nervousness. She nodded.

Wang So was shocked that she agreed, considering she never let him kiss her. He smiled gently and inched closer, placing his lips on hers. She kissed him back, something she had never thought she would do. She was done rejecting him. She loved him too, no matter how afraid she was.

Wang So kissed Hae Soo deeply, biting her lip in the middle of this kiss. She exhaled softly and locked her lips with his to show that she wanted more. He grabbed both sides of her face and continued to entangle his lips with hers. They confessed all they felt towards each other, their kiss worth more than a million words. His lips parted with hers as he planted kisses on her cheeks, then her neck. Hae Soo sighed with pleasure.

Wang So wanted to show his love with more than just kisses. He wanted her and Hae Soo knew it. She knew it was a risk but she wanted it too.

One by one, their clothing ended up in a pile next to them. Hae Soo laid back and rested on the floor, looking up at Wang So. He studied her naked body. He took all her beauty in like an observer of an art piece. His eyes showed appreciation for such beauty, the passionate love he had for the one that accepted and helped him, and at the same time showed the thirst he had for the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. As Wang So began to position himself on top of Hae Soo stopped him and pointed at his face.

"Your mask." Hae Soo said quietly as she let out a small laugh. Wang So let out a small chuckle as he began to untie the strings on his mask. She wanted to engulf him in all his beauty, nothing to cover any secrets or insecurities. Hae Soo watched as the mask finally came off, and all she could see was his beautiful face.

Wang So positioned himself on top of Hae Soo. They stared at each other intently and with admiration. Hae Soo's eyes scanned over his abdomen. It was full of scars – scars that he began to love because Hae Soo loved them too. Her fingers caressed his scars and she lifted her head to kiss one. Wang So observed her as she did. He placed his lips on hers and kissed her passionately. Wang So then began to slowly put himself inside Hae Soo and she bit her lip as to not make a sound. He thrusted in and out, making sure to go slowly at first. She closed her eyes to appreciate the pleasure. This feeling was foreign to her and he felt so good. This pleasure couldn't even compare to what her ex-boyfriend had given her in the past life.

Wang So began to thrust faster and Hae Soo moaned. The feeling of finally releasing the tension satisfied the young prince and the maid. They were both bottling up these hidden feelings for a long time. Wang So broke the kiss and moved his mouth towards Hae Soo's breast. He planted kisses on it and gave her a love mark. A soft moan broke the silence in that small room. Wang So then placed his lips on Hae Soo's once again and continued to kiss her. She kissed him back and her fingers intertwined with his locks of hair. Her other hand moved towards his back as she felt his scars, her fingers caressing and tracing them as they shared a kiss.

A warm sensation filled Hae Soo's pubic area as Wang So finished and his thrusts slowly came to a stop. He sighed in satisfaction as a bead of sweat rolled down his temple. She stared at him with loving eyes as she breathed heavily. Wang So kissed Hae Soo's forehead and got up from the ground to clean the both of them up. He reached for a rag and dabbed the cloth on the sticky liquids that were left behind on Hae Soo's genitalia. She sat up and looked Wang So in the eyes, she was still hungry for proximity, for affection, just to be with him. Her mouth opened to say something but she was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Hae Soo." Ji Mong called. "I'm requesting that you prepare tea for the King."

"Don't come in!" Hae Soo replied worriedly. "I'm getting dressed." She explained as she grabbed her dress to put on.

They quickly clothed themselves. Wang So hurriedly put on his clothes and kissed Hae Soo on the lips before heading towards the window where he would escape. As he was about to hop out of the window, Wang So looked back at his lover one more time. _'I love you,'_ Hae Soo mouthed quietly. The fourth prince smiled gently and made his leave, his black clothes making him one with the night.


End file.
